It is known to provide cloth-based tapes for use in protecting hockey stick blades and improving player puck control by increasing friction between the puck and the blade. Such prior art tapes are designed for increased friction, and are not intended for nor effective as a blade tape for preventing snow and ice buildup of ice hockey stick blades. A disadvantage of such prior art tapes is the absence of any component to protect the cloth from the outside elements it may come into contact with during sporting activities. Exposure of the tape to such elements, including water, snow, ice, and cold reduces the durability of the tape, as well as reducing its adhesive properties. The device of the present invention addresses these shortcomings in the prior art by providing an improved cloth tape which is more resilient to these environmental factors, while providing water repellence to prevent snow and ice buildup.
In the drawings, one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding, which are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.